Looking For your Opinion

[sohrabkalra]

Hi,

I would appreciate your valuable feedback on a quandry i am facing. Before the question, i am giving below a snippet of my profile

AGE/GENDER/LOCATION : 24/M/INDIAN
WORK EX: 2 YEARS
PROFILE : Technologies,Monitoring
Company : Amdocs
GMAT: 720 (V:37,Q:50,:Essays:6)
TOEFL :113 (R,W,L:30 Speaking:23)

Now, i intend to make a career in Brand Management and therefore i was looking to switch to marketing.
And I have an offer from Cranfield University(UK) for a place on Msc Strategic Marketing.The course appealed to me with the contents But with the visa regulations changing recently, i am in a dilemma whether to accept the offer or not considering the expenses involved.

The other option that i am considering if i do not take up that offer is to take up an intern in Marketing(Which i can arrange) simultaneously Spending the next year involved with some volunteer organisation helping them with marketing and arranging funding, learning a few foreign languages and ofcourse doing things like drumming which i always wanted to and then apply for an MBA for Next fall!

What option would you suggest ? And if you suggest the second , what bracket of schools would you suggest me to aim at ? and if the things i plan to do in the gap year would help my chances with the admit ?

Look Forward to hearing from you.

Much Thanks,
Sohrab

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear Sohrab,

There are some distinct differences between a MS degree and a MBA degree with regard to curriculum, cost, and program length. Whether or not to forgo your opportunity at Cranfield to apply for an MBA is not a decision to make lightly. I think you need to evaluate what you want from your graduate program on many levels--the courses, the career opportunities, the peer group, etc. Once you have a good understanding of what you expect from your graduate program, then evaluate the MS against that criteria. If the MS offers what you seek, then it might be worth proceeding as you can start now. However, if a MBA program is a stronger match to your criteria list, then you will need to weigh the cost of giving up your place at Cranfield against any additional benefits you feel the MBA will offer over the MS. While you have competitive test scores, your profile is very common in the global MBA applicant pool and thus you will need to be strategic in devising your target school list. Also, you will need to distinguish your application from the many similar applicants. In terms of your gap year, it might help to distinguish your application IF you have substance to the next year in terms of your activities. By substance, I mean you are gaining skills relevant to your future career and serving in leadership roles. If you are just volunteering here and there, taking some language classes, and playing drums, then that gap year might actually hurt your application.

Good luck,
Lisa